Hi Friends! Welcome to Episode 16 of the Reaching Hurting Women Podcast: A Contemplative Path of Recovery. Here we are learning new ways of coping with our daily struggles. My name is Tamara and I will be your host. Today we are talking about: Movement Practices.
The Contemplative Movement Practices include but aren’t limited to:
- Labyrinth Walking
- Pilgrimages
- Tai Chi
- Sports
- Dancing
- Yoga
We will touch a bit on all these Movement Practices but today I want to focus primarily on Yoga.
This first in this series of Movement Practices is walking a Labyrinth. While I haven’t tried the Labyrinth I think it would be an interesting way to practice walking meditation and prayer. A church in the city where we live has created one on their campus. I hope to check it out one day in the near future. Click here to learn more about walking a Labyrinth.
Another of the Movement Practices is taking a Pilgrimage. There are several pilgrimages one can take in different countries around the world. But I think the most famous is the Camino de Santiago, also known as The Way of Saint James. I have a friend who walked it this past summer. She said it was a life changing experience for her.
Tai Chi is another movement practice I haven’t had a chance to try but I find it especially fascinating. When I do finally get to try it, I hope to experience it outdoors, maybe on a quiet beach or in a peaceful wooded park.
You may be wondering how sports made it to a list of contemplative movement practices. My initial reaction was questioning as well until I thought more about the sports I would consider contemplative. The first sport that came to mind was golf. Though I’m not a golfer, I can imagine that golfing could be quite peaceful. After all, you’re in a beautiful park, with birds and water all around. Sounds pretty contemplative to me. Other contemplative sports could be fishing, sailing and swimming. These water activities could be very relaxing and give you opportunities for reflection, meditation and prayer.
Many churches today during special times of the year have a dance worship team. The women are usually dressed in loose fitting but flowing dresses much like what women might have worn in the times of Jesus. They move about the stage or sanctuary to a beautiful worship song. I was introduced to this type of dance when doing a webinar class a few years ago. The instructor, Betsey Beckman encouraged those in the class to let go and lean in to God as we listened to the music. Starting with slow simple movements, I gradually learned not to worry about how silly I might look but to use it as a time of praise and worship to God.
My favorite of the Movement Practices is yoga. I’ve been practicing yoga on a fairly regular basis for almost 20 years. My day doesn’t start right unless it starts face on the floor in meditation and prayerful yoga. I’ve learned several basic poses and memorized portions of Scripture that go along with those poses so that when I’m in a pose, I meditate on that verse. For instance…
For Tree Pose: I meditate on Psalm 1:1-3, which reads:
Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
For Mountain Pose I meditate on Psalm 125:1
Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion,
which cannot be shaken but endures forever.
For Chair Pose I meditate on Ephesians 2:6
I am seated with Christ in heavenly places
These are just a few examples of how to blend Scripture meditation with your yoga practices. And of course there are many opportunities to simply sit in silence, pray and ponder the things of God, listening for His still quiet voice to direct your day.
I like how you blend yoga with scripture. I have always been a bit leary of yoga because of it’s link to paganism but the scripture meditations are very cool.